Positive-flow fountain pen



Mar. 6, 1923.

POSIIIVE FLOW FOUNTAIN PEN.

'Elu-:D MAY la. |920.

T u!! llll zwmmvh Patented `Man 6, i923.

NETE@ SFFES OSCAR STROMBORG, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

POSITIVE-FLOW'` FOUNTAIN PEN.

Application filed. May 13, 1920. Serial No. 381,212.

To all whom t may concern Be it -known that I, OSCAR Srnou'ono, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and Staterof California, have invented a new and useful Positive-F low `Fountain Fen, of which the following is a specification.

The fountain vpens in popular use are provided with reservoirs to supply inlr to the pen point and it is found that in the ordinary use of such pens the ink will at times fail to flow.

I have discovered that this failure most frequently arises from the forming of a vacuum within the reservoir so that air pressure at the mouth of the duct which leads to the pen is sufficient to hold the ink in the reservoir and to prevent it from owing from the pen point.

In other instances the cause for failure to flow may be the drying out of the ink` from the duct which leads to the pen point; in which case it is necessary to force the flow into the duct. An object of this invention is to provide a fountain pen in which the flow of ink from the reservoir to the pen point may be mechanically forced so as to avoid the difficulties above noted and to correct the air pressure in the reservoir.

The invention may be carried out in varin ous ways and is fundamental, broadly new, basic and pioneer in that I provide a piston or plunger inside the reservoir adapted to correct the air pressure within thereservoir and also to appropriately drive the ink toward the pen point, and to this end I have provided the tubular reservoir of a fountain pen with an elongated. cylindrical, free piston movable freely within the tubular inl: reservoir of the fountain pen, and adapted to fall to the lower end of the reservoir when the same is turned in either one or the other direction; the action of the appliance being to suck air into the reservoir when the pen point is elevated, and by reverse movement to drive ink from the reservoir toward the pen point when the pen point is lowered.

Further objects ofthe invention are cheapness, simplicity, ease of application and certainty of not getting out oforder.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from the accompanying drawing, the subjoined detail description and the appended claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates in exaggerated scale, the invention in some of the forms of embodimentwhich I contemplate.

VFigure l is a fragmental axial section in ink flow position, of a self iiller fountain pen open, constructed in accordance with this invention in one of its forms.

Fig. 2 is a like section of the pen inverted and closed.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental view partly in section ofa fountain pen closed and inverted with a piston of a form different from that shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental section in flow position, of the pen shown in Fig. 3.

F ig- 5 is a cross section on line m5 Fig. 3 or Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmental axial section of another form of piston. y

Fig. 7 is a plan section on line x7, Fig. 6.

The pen holder and its appurtenances may be of any desired character. In Fig. l the case 1 is provided with a collapsible reser voir 2 connected to the pen point or tip holder 3 in the form of a plug closing the end of the case, which has the usual duct 4 leading to the pen point 5. Inside the ink reservoir is the free plunger or piston 6 which may be of any suitable form calculated to move by gravity toward and from the pen point tip or holder 3 as the pen is held with pen point down or up asl the case may be. In said Fig. l the piston or plunger 6 is shown seated in the tip and provided with passageways as channels or creases 7 adapted tocommunicate with duct 4 when the plunger is in the pen end of the reservoir to allow the ink to flow from the main body of the reservoir to the duct 4.

In Fig. 2 the same form of the invention is shown with pen in inverted position. It will be noted that the rear end of the plug may be counter bored at 20 concentric with the duct 4 and the reservoir to form a bore of less diameter than the reservoir but of suiiicientdiameter-to permit the plunger 6 to descend thereinto. The upper end of the restricted bore so formed is curved outwardly and upwardly, and the plunger is curved at its lower end whereby the plunger is guided into the restricted bore.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 6, the case l forms the ink reservoir and a piston 6 of somewhat different form is shown. The plunger shown in Figs. 3 and 4 comprises flat wings 6 extending radially from a central axis providing grooves or c-hannels 16 therebetween.

In Fig. 6 a still different form is shown in which the plunger is made up of forcing tip 9 grooved as in the plunger shown in Fig. 1 and the guides 10,11 connected by the stem 8. The guides are in the form of notched flanges spaced apart and substantially filling the bore of the tube 1 while the forcing tip is more restricted in diameter and is adapted to be received in a depression formed in the rear end of plug 3 concentric with the duct 4 through said plug. The space between the flanges 10, 11 forms an air pocket, in which air may accumulate and be carried thereby to the upper end of the reservoir, when the pen is reversed.

In all the dilerent forms, mea-ns are provided as the creases 7, grooves 16 or notches 17 or the duct 13 to allow the ink to flow after it has started.

The cage 14 may be of any suitable form and is shown provided with perforations 18 to allow the ink to reach the bore 13.

In practice the piston may be made of heavy metal that is not subject to corrosion and can be appropriately inserted in any requisite and well known way into the ink reservoir of whatever construction, and when ink is in the reservoir and the pen is reversed from the position shown in Fig. Q to that shownin Fig. 1 the plunger will fall toward the duct 4 and Will drive ink thereinto in such a Way as to cause a ready flow of ink to the pen.

In case the ink fiow has been such as to create a vacuum in the upper part of the pen holder so that ink is held back by eX- ternal air pressure the user may destroy the vacuum" by simply inverting the pen to position shown in Fig. 2 whereupon a certain amount of air will suck in at the vent 4.

In operation when there is an insucient flow of ink due to the formation of a vacuum or for other ca.uses,'the pen isreversed and the plunger gravitates to the upper end of the reservoir drawing after it a certain amount of air which tends to equalize the air pressure at both ends of the column of ink in the reservoir. When the pen is again turned right side up, the plunger gravitates to the pen end forcing out a quant-ity of ink sufficient to wet the pen and start the flow of ink thereto.

It will be noted that the plunger in each form has a cross sectional area considerably less than that of the bore of the reservoir. By this arrangement only a small quantity of ink is forced out by the action of the plunger and suicient to merely' start the flow Without supplying an excess quantity.

In the form shown in Fig. 1 the plunger is received at the pen end in a counter-bore of less diameter than the bore of the reservoir; only a portion of the ink in which is forced out when the plunger'V enters said counter-bore.

In the form shown in Fig. 6 the depression in the rear of the plug is restricted in diameter so as to receive snugly the forcing tip 9. This recess is adapted to hold only one or two drops of ink which Aare forced out by the tip when it enters said recess.

The operation of the plunger after the flow is started is to permit a circulation of air passing up through certain of the channels and ink passing down through others.

It will be understood the plunger may be made as a separate article of manufacture and sold separate from the pen and may be used in pens of a standard make.

I claim.

1. The combination With a pen and a reservoir connected therewith to supply ink thereto and beineP closed at one end, of a free piston operable in the reservoir to force ink toward the pen said piston being provided with a plurality of passageWays.

2. A fountain pen comprising a tube to supply ink for the pen and being closed at one end and a weighted plunger in the tube to assist in supplying the pen with ink from the tube said piston being provided with a plurality of channels formed in its surface.

3. A fountain pen comprising a tube to supply inlfor the pen and being closed at one end and a Weighted channeled plunger in the tube to equalize air pressures inside and outside of said tube.

4. A plunger for use in fountain pens in the form of flanges connected by a stem and having a forcing tip of `smaller diameter than said flanges, there being grooves on said forcing tip forming passageways.

In testimony whereof, I have hereuntoset my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 6th day of May, 1920.

OSCAR STROMBORG.

Witness:

JAMES R, TowNsnND. 

